B2-Intermediate+

Spreading Deadly Ebola

B2-Intermediate+CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 19, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Patrick Sawyer was in danger, but he didn’t know it. He was in Liberia and working for the government. During that time, he was caring for his sister. She was extremely sick and getting worse every day. On July 7, 2014, Patrick’s sister died. The cause... Read more

Speak Not Ill of Thine Competitors

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 4 Stories August 18, 2019 1

By Tom Peters (Creative Commons) ReadOasis Step 4 Does this require more explanation than the Golden Rule (“Do unto others ... ”): Badmouthing competitors diminishes you. Period. “Win” with better product. “Win” with better relationships. “Win” when your industry is prospering and has a good reputation. (Think consultants, ad... Read more

Words that Remade a Country

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 4 Stories Times August 10, 2019

ReadOasis Step 4 Smoke, fire, and the booms of big guns. The pounding feet of horses. The flashes of silver swords in the sun. Loud shots in the air. The buzz of bullets in the wind. The cries of men at war. Rivers of blood. The white cracking sounds... Read more

Hot States

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 5, 2019 0

Youtube Video by Dan Ariely ReadOasis Step 3 When emotions take over, we become different people. In fact, we become so different that it’s hard for us to recognize ourselves and realize what we could be doing in this other state. So for example you could make all the... Read more

The Reason to Know

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Times July 31, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) One day Yukichi went to Yokohama for sight-seeing. At the time, the place was not much of a town. Foreigners had made a few temporary buildings there for living and selling their goods. Yukichi tried to speak with them, but to his distress and... Read more

Newspeak and 1984

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories July 29, 2019 3

ReadOasis Step 3 Winston is an editor. Every day he works with words. His hands are soft, and he is not strong. He does not do hard physical labor. But his job is challenging and even dangerous. He works for the government of Oceania. Every day, he rewrites history.... Read more

Gregor Mendel: Father of Genetics

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Invention Step 3A Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories July 27, 2019 2

ReadOasis Step 3 A great tree comes from a small seed, and from small beginnings come great things. He made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science. But during his life, Gregor Mendel was a relatively unknown man. After his death, he became famous for his... Read more

Confucius

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories Times July 25, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 4 Confucius (551-478 BC) was a great Chinese philosopher and educator whose teachings formed the basis for Chinese education, ethics, and social life. His style was similar to Socrates. He tended not to give long explanations on different topics. Rather, he asked questions and challenged people to... Read more

Awarding Excellence: The Pulitzer Prize

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3B Protected Step 3 Stories July 16, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 The Color Purple is a book about a black woman named Celie. The story tells of her life and struggles, as she grew up in the Southern United States during the 1930s. The book was written by Alice Walker. And the movie version was directed by... Read more

El Greco: Genius of Spanish Art

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories July 5, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) El Expolio by El Greco El Greco wanted to be a great artist. (His name means “the Greek.”) Like many Greek artists of his time, El Greco moved to Venice, Italy. Venice was alive with cultural change, achievement, and art during a period of... Read more

Rules for Your Working Brain (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories July 3, 2019

ReadOasis Step 3 The bell rings. Students close their books and start packing their bags. Raising his voice, Professor Jones says, "Remember to read Chapter 6 before next class, and your first report is due in 3 days!" Some students groan. Mary rushes back to her room. She's got... Read more

The Old Man and the Sea

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories July 1, 2019 12

ReadOasis Step 2 An old man was fishing alone in a small boat. He was off the coast of Cuba near the town of Cabanas. He hooked a marlin, a great fish with a long, sharp spear for a nose. The powerful fish pulled the small boat out to... Read more

The Mindset Message (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Invention Step 3A Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories June 23, 2019

ReadOasis Step 3 Some people say that "hard work is more important than innate intelligence." To appraise this claim, researchers gave this message to a group of people. Then something remarkable happened. Right after hearing the message, the people manifested real changes in their brains. Is this true? Can... Read more

Luther and the Storm (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 3 Stories June 19, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Creative Commons Photo by johnbailey63 It was a cloudy day in summer. The sun's light flickered on the green grass as clouds moved across the sky. The colors of the German countryside danced in the changing light. A cool breeze whispered in the trees.... Read more

The Honest Truth About Irony

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles June 13, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Many of us know the story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A young husband and wife love each other deeply. But they are too poor to buy each other gifts at Christmas. After much thought, the man decides to sell his... Read more

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories June 13, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 We are far into "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" when Albus Dumbledore says, "Dark and difficult times lie ahead." But they lie behind us too. And these dark and difficult times have caught our imagination since the beginning of Harry Potter. But this fourth... Read more

Music as Medicine

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Invention Step 3A Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories Top Picks June 11, 2019 2

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) You are watching TV. On the screen, you see the two strong hands of a man. In his left hand, he holds a book of matches. In his right hand, he holds a single match. With his right hand, he strikes the match on... Read more

Country Music Icon: Hank Williams

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories June 11, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 It was the middle of America’s Great Economic Depression. Hank Williams was just seven when his father left. The stress from World War I still burned in his father’s brain, and he committed himself into Veteran’s hospital. Hank’s mother worked. She played organ at church, and... Read more

Richard Wagner, Musician

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories June 9, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. He was a famous German musician and writer. He wrote operas, or "music dramas." Unlike many writers of opera, he wrote the words and music for all his works. Wagner's music is known for being intense, complex, and... Read more

The Festival of Lights

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles June 5, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 The sky is filled with fireworks. And the home is bright with the light of candles. Little children are dressed in colorful clothes. Their smiles are wide with the tastes of traditional sweets. And they dance to the beat of Indian music. This is the Festival... Read more